Device for artificially inseminating animals



March 4, 1952 D, w, EDWARDS 2,587,984

DEVICE FOR ARTIFICIALLY INSEMINATING ANIMALS Filed Sept. 19, 1950INVENTOR.

By flaw/140 W [OWARDJ Patented Mar. 4, 1952 DEVICE FOR ARTIFICIALLYINSEMINATING ANINIAL Donald W. Edwards, Dixon, Ill.

Application September 19, 1950, Serial No. 185,624

2 Claims.

This invention appertains to improvements in animal impregnators ordevices for artificially inseminating female animals.

The primary object of this invention is to effect an artificalinsemination of female animals, without injuring the reproductive organsof the animal and without agitating the animal, while, at the same.time, permitting an effective impregnation to obviate repeatedinjections.

Another object of this invention is to provide an instrument foreiiecting artificial insemination, the instrument being of such a simpleoperating nature that it can be effectively employed, without theservices of a trained technician.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig-ure 1 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of the preferredembodiment of this invention; 4

Figure 2 is an elevational view of another embodiment of this invention;

Figure 3 is a top plan view, and,

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Figure 1.

In impregnating female animals, instruments for the artificialinsemination have been provided, which necessitate the employment of atube brought into contact with the cervix. Such instruments offer apossibility of permanent injury to the reproductive organs and arecomplex in structure and operation, thereby necessitating the servies ofa trained technician in administering the injection.

Also, such instruments do not afford means for withdrawing some of themucus fluid from, the uterus and cervix and discharging the fluid backinto the uterus and cervix, after the semen is forced into the organs bythe pressure of the injected mucus fluid, both operations being of asimultaneous nature and affording a, greater degree of positiveimpregnation.

The impregnating instrument l0, which, due to the construction thereof,obviates the foregoing defects and permits the desirable method ofinsemination to be effected, includes an outer tubular member I2 havingopposing open ends, one end 14 of which constitutes a discharge end andis adapted to be inserted into the vaginal vault in adjacency to thecervix.

A piston 16 is disposed within the tubular member and is provided withmeans I 8 for effecting, under manual pressure, an operational strokethereof. The means 18 consists of a pair of U-shaped rods 26 which areaxially disposed in the tube and extend operatively through the end 22thereof.

The free ends of the legs of each rod are bent outwardly to form lockingmembers 24 and 26, the free ends of the legs being inserted in bores 28in the inner end of the piston and the members 24 being inserted inlateral or offset extensions 30 of the bores, the extensions beingformed at the inner ends thereof. The suction stroke of the piston I 6,under actuation by the rod 20, moved outwardly from the tube by manualpressure, is limited by a stop 32 formed on the interior of the tube andlaterally disposed therein for engagement with the inner end of thepiston.

An axial passage 34 is centrally arranged in the piston it toaccommodate an inner tube 36, which is slidably disposed therein. Thetube 36 is formed with an outer discharge end 38 which is formed with anaxially disposed discharge port or orifice 40. Finger grip members 42and 44 laterally extend in opposite directions from an enlarged head 46aformed on the opposing end of the tube 36.

Means is provided for discharging semen from the tube 36, the meansbeing of any type sufficient to create a discharging pressure in thetube and establish a pressure head rearwardly of the semen for ejectingthe semen from the tube and through the orifice or port 40. A plunger 46may be employed, as illustrated, the plunger being slidably disposed inthe tube 36 and having an enlarged outer end 48.

In use, the instrument is placed in the vagina of the female animal,with the various compo nents in the relative position, as depicted inFigure 1. After complete insertion of the instrument, with the tube endI4 resting against the cervix, the piston i6 is initiated in its suctionstroke by the rod 20 to draw the mucus fluid from the uterus of theanimal into the discharge end of the tube [2, the piston l6 beinglimited in its suction stroke by the stop 32.

At that point in the operation, the mucus fluid will encompass the innertube 36, within which semen has been previously placed, by the removalof the plunger 46 and the filling of the tube 36 to the desired point.

The plunger 46 is depressed in the tube 36 by gripping the finger grips42 and 44 and applying manual pressure, as with the thumb, to the head48. The semen is, thus, placed ahead of the mucus fluid and introducedinto the vagina. The piston I5 is then initiated in its discharge strokeby depressing the rod 2|] to effectuate a discharge of the mucus fluidin back of the semen. The mucus fluid forms 9, pressure block or head toseal in the semen and direct its flow into effective placement in theuterus.

In Figure 2, another embodiment is illustrated, wherein, the instrumentis similar in structure and operation to the instrument It! in Figure 1,with the discharge end and piston being altered in order to moreconformably fit the vaginal canal and abut the cervix of some femalequadrupeds, The discharge end 50 is beveled or curved obliquely and theouter end 52 of the piston is similarly configured.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

' 1. In an artificial insemination instrument, a hollow outer tubehaving opposing open ends, one

of said ends constituting a discharge end adapted to be inserted in thevaginal passage of a female animal andabutting the cervix, a pistonworkably mounted in the tube, means extending from said piston throughthe end of the outer tube opposed to the discharge end for moving saidpiston, stop on said tube limiting the movement of the piston from thedischarge end so that fluid drawn into the tube from the uterus ispositioned in the tube adjacent the discharge end, an inner tubeconcentrically arranged in the outer tube and slidably disposed throughthe piston, and means slidable in said inner tube for discharging semenin the inner tube from said inner tube into the uterus in advance of thefluid forced back into the uterus by the piston.

2. In an artificial insemination instrument, a

hollow outer tube having opposing open ends, one of said endsconstituting a discharge end adapted to be inserted in the vaginalpassage of a female animal and abutting the cervix, a piston workablymounted in the tube; means extending from said piston through the end ofthe outer tube opposed to the discharge end for moving said piston, astop on said tube limiting the movement of the piston from the dischargeend so that fluid drawn into the tube from the uterus is positioned inthe tube adjacent the discharge end, an inner tube concentricallyarranged in the outer tube and slidably disposed through the piston, andmeans for discharging semen in the inner tube from said inner tube intothe uterus in advance of the fluid forced back into the uterus by thepiston, said last means including a plunger slidably disposed in theinner tube and extending through the open end of the outer tube opposedto the discharge end.

DONALD W. EDWARDS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,052,895 Curlee Feb. 11, 19131,118,040 Mulder Nov. 24, 1914 1,422,490 Stader July 11, 1922

